


A Sketchy Place

by PanicFOB



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:28:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21806635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PanicFOB/pseuds/PanicFOB
Summary: It falls on you to find a new home for the kitten your roommate adopted despite knowing you're allergic. A certain group of heroes has been wanting a pet at the compound.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Kudos: 58





	A Sketchy Place

“Tina, I—” your words cut off because you literally had none. Your roommate was such a dumbass sometimes, and this latest stunt had reached a new level of idiotic.

“I didn’t think it would be a big deal if I simply kept him in my room,” she practically whined as she held the kitten in her arms.

“I told you from the start that I’m allergic. That cat cannot live here while I’m living here. I literally won’t be able to breathe.”

“But look at him,” she held him up to you for emphasis, “he’s so stinking adorable.”

“That’s true. He’s very cute, and I have nothing against cats. I just can’t live with them because of my allergies. You knew this before we moved in together, so I don’t know why you didn’t think it would be a problem.”

She shrugged.

You rolled your eyes. “I can’t even with you right now.” You stalked off to your bedroom, calling out “get rid of the cat!” behind you.

##  *******

Three days you spent in sneezing fits and a constant scratchy throat. You’d been taking Claritin every chance you could, but that kitten’s dander was making your life absolutely miserable.

You confronted Tina about it once more.

“Have you found him a new home?”

“No. I can’t send him off to just anybody.”

“Have you even tried looking?”

She said she had, but the way she said it made you think she was trying to let this matter slide until you gave up about it.

“Come here, Reindeer,” she called as she held out a can of stinky food for the cat.

“You named him?”

“Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you’re not keeping him, obviously.”

“Right,” she said in a way that made you very aware she did, in fact, intend to keep him. “I’ve got a shift at the diner today. I’ll see you later.”

As soon as she was gone, you snapped a cute picture of Reindeer and posted it online to let everyone know he was in need of a new home.

##  *******

Four hours later, you received a message from an account under the name jbbarnes.

**Them:** Hi, is the kitten still needing a home?

**You:** Yup. You’re actually the first person to message about it.

**Them:** Awesome. My roommates have been wanting an animal for a while, but I think we’re too busy to have a dog. A cat would be perfect, and Reindeer looks adorable.

**You:** Great. He’s yours today if you want. Where’s a non-sketchy place we can meet?

**Them:** Is the Avengers compound non-sketchy enough?

**You:** Huh?

**Them:** I promise Captain America won’t let any sketchy business occur.

**You:** What are you on?

**Them:** Nothing. I’m serious. I’m Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier. My roommates are literally the Avengers, and I’m going to surprise them with a pet kitten for Christmas.

**You:** What.

**You:** The.

**You:** Fuck.

**Them:** I’ll send you the address. If you decide it’s too sketchy, you can abort mission.

##  *******

Against your better judgment, you typed the address into your GPS, loaded Reindeer into your car, and followed the direction it took you. When you actually pulled up to the Avengers compound, you were quite shocked, but you still suspected this was some stupid prank and when you knocked on the door, the real Bucky Barnes was going to have no idea what you were doing there.

You knocked anyway, kitten in hand.

Captain America answered the door with first a smile and then a look of severe confusion. “Are you lost, miss?”

“Hi, uh, Mr. Rogers, sir. I’ve been corresponding with a Bucky Barnes about a kitten that needed a home.”

“A kitten? What?” He turned back toward the room behind him. “I thought we agreed on a dog, Buck! What the hell did you do?”

A tall, handsome man with dark scruff and long hair that matched it tied into a high bun came stomping into view. “And I told you that dogs are a lot of work, Steve! We don’t have the time to train one with our busy schedules. A cat will be much better.”

He spotted you and the tiny kitten you were holding. “Oh, aren’t you adorable little guy?” He reached out and rubbed the top of Reindeer’s head with his right thumb, and then his steel-blue eyes raised to meet your own. “Hi,” he said through a genuine smile.

“Hi. I’m Y/N,” you managed to get out, despite being slightly in awe of the man in front of you.

How was he so rugged and intense looking while also fawning over a fluffy kitten? It did not compute.

“Well, Y/N, we were just about to eat some dinner. Would you like to join us?”

You hesitated. Dinner with the Avengers certainly wasn’t something you’d prepared for when you woke up this morning.

“Unless that seems too sketchy, of course,” he joked.

You let out a breathless laugh. “I suppose since Captain America is here, it’ll be alright,” you quipped back.

Steve Rogers let out a deep laugh at that, and Bucky Barnes just looked at you with that sinful grin.

“Right this way,” he motioned for you to enter the compound. “I’ll take the cat, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, please do. I’m allergic,” you informed him as you handed Reindeer over.

You watched in amusement as the man let the kitten climb up his metal arm, across his broad shoulder, and then atop his head, where he perched in a settled spot, clinging onto Bucky’s bun.

“All right, he is pretty cute,” Steve Rogers told his friend. “I guess we can keep him instead of getting a dog.”

“Good, because I wasn’t gonna listen to you on the matter anyway,” Bucky retorted.

“Of course you weren’t,” Steve said with a nod of his head. To you, he said, “Dining room is this way, Y/N.”

You and Bucky walked side-by-side behind Steve. This had to be the strangest day of your life.

##  *******

And so, you had dinner with the Avengers. Well, most of them. Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Thor were absent, but you got along with Natasha, Sam, and Wanda rather well. Bucky sat right next to you at the table, and he seemed unable to take his eyes off you. Reindeer remained on top of his head through the whole meal, and you wondered if that was going to become the kitten’s permanent residence.

Afterward, you thanked them all for the lovely food and conversation. Bucky walked you back to the door.

“So, I was thinking,” he said in that sexily gruff voice, “I should really buy you dinner sometime to properly thank you for giving me this little guy.”

“We just had dinner,” you pointed out.

“Yeah, but that was different. How about you give me your number and I’ll call you to schedule a time for me to take you out?”

You smirked. “And this is strictly about thanking me for Reindeer?”

His grin only got wider. “Of course,” he said, but you knew he didn’t mean it.


End file.
